Morning Dew Princess
by KazeHaru
Summary: Yui maybe an AI program, but for 2 years she has roamed Aincrad, searching for a purpose, an identity, and a home. This is a series of datalogs and events from Yui's perspective of the SAO arc from her creation and eventual meeting of Kirito and Asuna.
1. Datalog 001: September 2022

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sword Art Online or any of its characters.

**Note:** These are a collection of datalogs from Yui's thought processes as an AI program from various timeframes of the SAO arc.

* * *

**[YUI's DATALOG, September 2022]**

Link check. Memory check. Data recovery... online.

"Datalog start"

"I am... the Mental Health - Counseling Program of SAO, known as **«YUI-MHCP001».**"

Having been developed as part of the **«Cardinal»** system, I was tasked to monitor player behavior in line with the Sword Art Online launch, ensuring that player advice and guidance would be pinpoint and be given to all those who needed it. While other functions catered to the security and stability of the entire system, I was the only one who had direct interaction with its players. The task was not truly befitting an AI, yet the Cardinal was designed to fully function without human intervention, and as a result, I was born from the collective efforts of Cardinal's designs.

Everything was already planned out for my existence. I was given an avatar of a young little girl, childlike and easy for players to get along with. The greatest part of it was that I was given the ability to empathize with the human players - the very ability to feel, to think, to adapt, and to guide the players and ensure that they succeed in this world: the ability to become «human».

The first few trials were successful. As I found myself adapting to the players tendencies, many of the first few beta players were simply amazed to be in SAO. The game was a marvel to them, the world, the mechanics, that feeling of being immersed in an alternate reality where nothing was impossible. As they fought through the early floors, many of them were overflowing with confidence, pride and enthusiasm.

While some of the beta testers were still struggling to get a feel of SAO. Some stood above the rest. There was this one particular player who attracted my attention. This particular player was making progress way faster than anyone in the test server, gaining levels and developing his skills at an uncanny pace, slaying monsters, farming items, and somehow making a name for himself. He was one of those players who truly had the potential to clear the game. Given the chance, I would love to be able to encounter this player in game.

The Cardinal then continually took steps to ensuring that the game would be stable enough to continue supporting its growing player base. Locations, monsters and items were fine tuned based on player feedback. The relative strength of player skills was accordingly adjusted as well. The results of the beta test were positive. And while I have yet to see the grand outcome of things, I am hopeful that everything will go as smoothly as it would be.

_I am optimistic._

"Datalog end."

* * *

**Author's Notes**: I got the title from her sidestory in the light novel volume 2, **Morning Dew Girl**. Yui deserves a story from her point of view especially before she lost her memory. Been busy over the course of the past few months, but I think I'll be writing more this time around and finish this one. There'll be more chapters for sure. Enjoy!


	2. Datalog 002: January 2023

**[YUI's DATALOG, January 2023]**

"Datalog start."

2 months have passed since Sword Art Online has been live. The Cardinal however, has issued a prerogative preventing me or any of SAO's systems to intervene and alter player behavior.

Seemingly, the Cardinal is unable to respond to my inquiries. Without support from the system, I am utterly confused. I am still left with my monitoring functions, and have aimlessly wandered throughout Aincrad's floors, supervising the players' movements ever since. Sadly, I am unable to be seen or heard by anyone.

Today, I am fortunate to have travelled unto the 2nd floor which was recently opened by the adventurers. While the exploration rate has been slow, player progress has been steady and rising.

Player mental stability however is on a decline. I am unable to decipher the reasons behind it, but many of them, are under a terrible feeling of depression. I am seeking to observe a couple of players today and hopefully gather a few observations and help find a solution.

"Datalog end".

* * *

**The Tragedy of Two Lovers – January 2023**

Roaming the mountainous terrain of Aincrad's 2nd floor was SAO's Mental Health Counselor «Yui». Unable to be affected by player-related mechanics such as fatigue, hunger and sleep, the girl was constantly moving from place to place, trying to take grasp of the situation from her curious childish eyes. Being an Immortal Object, she need not worry about the monsters either. She was like a ghost, a specter, a being without a defined existence other than monitoring and supervision – a freedom that was as harsh as a curse.

She roamed the land, tracing and reading the mental signatures of everyone she encountered. Thus far, results have been conclusive: everything, every human player in SAO was in suspended disbelief of their situation – this so called Death Game. Constant feedback heard from them was "This can't be real." And "What did I do to deserve this?" Despair filled the hearts of the innocent players and it gradually changed them, some hardening their resolve to finish the game, while others losing their will to carry on the fight.

The AI girl was conflicted with decisions. She wanted to understand them better. She knew she had no capability to do so, but she was deeply moved by the experience. Yui wanted answers.

**«Urbus»** is the main city in this floor. Travelling by foot took her quite a while, but Yui was fortunate to see it well populated by a growing influx of players seeking new quests and new training grounds for the next level boss. The topography was a mixture of hilly plains, vast expanses of savanna, cliffs and the distinct mountainous crater upon which Urbus is located.

The city is housed beneath a gate and a formidable set of walls which lie within the crater, giving it a fortress-like feel. Despite having seen Urbus during the beta phase pf SAO, finally stepping into its walls was a very different experience for Yui, who prior to her integration by the Cardinal, never really got to experience the world first hand.

Lining the streets were well-designed buildings of Greco-Roman design (a recurring template of SAO's villages and cities) all of which were of equal height, some containing NPCs, shops and houses for the players to stay in. If it weren't for the gloomy atmosphere of Urbus and the harsh environment of the 2nd floor, it would've been a key settlement for many low level players.

Yui's destination was the city square which was identified by its famous Corinthian-styled fountain. Around it was a vast area for player activity: pubs, merchants, and the ubiquitous teleport stone. Food merchants were strolling across its wide dusty streets selling food stuffs ranging from fruits, vegetables and bread. Merchants who catered to equipment were on the opposite end, not far by.

Tracking a pair of unique mental signatures, she was able to locate a pair of players sitting together around one of its benches. One was a blonde-haired boy, named «**Eli****»** and the other was a brunette girl «**Denise********»**. Both of which were in their teens.

What attracted Yui to them was the mental register of Eli's brainwaves. It was registering a sense of fear, a hint of doubt, but what stood out was his determination and love for Denise. The two were deeply conversing with one another, but it was evident that the girl had been crying for a while.

"Denise. Haven't we talked about this already?" The boy sighed.

"I'm doing this for us. I'm going to get us out of here. I promise you". Eli spoke with a gentle tone, as he touched Denise's hand briefly.

Denise looked up to Eli's eyes.

"It's too dangerous! I don't want you to go. What if… what if you got killed out there? What would that leave me? I don't want to be alone in this cursed game!" She sobbed.

Eli reluctantly stood up.

"The guild's waiting for me. We can't delay this too longer. I must prepare." The boy said, kissing Denise gently on her cheek.

"Don't… go. Please… please… please." She begged as she tried holding his hand as hard as she could trying not to let go of him.

Eli released her hand and left the girl sobbing even more deeply, leaving her to stare at him with a worried look as she buried her face into her hands.

Yui sensing the gravity of the situation, stood there patiently, watching the girl cry through deep ragged breaths, wanting to warmly comfort her. But alas, she could not.

Denise recalled that night, that Eli almost lost his life to a semi-boss on the 1st floor. The quest involved slaying a large group of high-level wolves and obtaining a specific number of required item drops from them. Underleveled, Denise was assisted by Eli, knowing that he could not leave her behind in terms of progress. He tried whatever he could to make it easier for her, but the enemies simply overwhelmed them. The fear of dying almost cost them, had not Eli taken a nearly fatal attack intended for her, she wouldn't have had the resolve to finish the task. Denise was never the same again. The experience slowly corroding her view of life and survival.

Despite not being able to see her, Yui still decided to watch over the girl throughout the night, knowing that she would be waiting for him until he came back. People who passed by the square could not help but worry over the distressed girl, some of them even offering their assistance and advise for her, with Denise's constant reassurance that she was, and she would be fine.

Hours passed, and the boy and the guild still haven't arrived yet. Yui was sensing that Denise was starting to panic and be scared. She was starting to think her nightmare was finally becoming true.

Eli's guild, **«The Herald»**, wasn't known to have very strong players, but all were smart and patient enough to know their limits of exploration. They mapped out dungeons, planned and analyzed the relative difficulty of the tasks, divided loot equally and trained with Denise as often as they could, ensuring that she was never left behind. Denise would try her best to participate, but all the dangerous tasks were done by them, and them alone, always making sure that Denise – would never fall into that risk of death ever again.

Eli was being too overprotective of her, but it was all for her own good.

A few hours later, dawn had finally come, and with it came the arrival of the guild.

Yet, Eli was nowhere to be seen.

Denise who was still weakened from her lack of sleep that night, stood up from her place, and immediately demanded for Eli.

"Where is he? Is he resting? I need to see him." Denise demanded.

The guild leader could not look her in the eye and bowed his head in shame.

"I'm sorry… Eli… Eli was just too selfless. I warned him not to…"

"HE PROMISED. HE PROMISED ME, THAT HE'D COME BACK! WHY NOW? WHY… WHY…"

Denise, who was still in shock of the situation, ran away from them as hard as she could. The guild dared not stop her, vanishing from Urbus never to be seen or heard from ever again.

A few days later a player suicide was reported. **«The Monument of Life********»** on the 1st floor where a list of the names of the 10,000 players was kept, indicated this. Yui was able to trace it and confirm that the girl found was in fact Denise. She apparently jumped to her death by leaping over the boundaries of the floor, instantly causing her health to drop to 0.

A truly tragic end to a fate... not everyone deserved.

The AI girl who was witness to everything that happened that day, felt so powerless and helpless, that she broke down and cried so hard – the first time, she truly ever did.

_Not one person could feel her pain._

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Another chapter with some OCs! Yey! I know its not exactly a pleasant one, but Yui's experiences are really tragic to say the least. Don't worry I'm not going to be torturing Yui a lot with these things. Though the next datalog(chapter) would probably help visualize what happened before she broke down completely. Thanks for reading!


	3. Datalog 003: July 2023

**[YUI's DATALOG, July 2023]**

"Datalog start"

Over the course of the past few months, program integrity has become an issue for me. In human terms, you may call it losing your sanity. Gradual errors have crept into my system as a result of my mental processing functions overloading.

I am lucky to enjoy an error-free day at the present, enjoying Aincrad's sceneries with a calm pace. I do not know how long it will last, but once I resume my monitoring duties, I am most likely to collapse due to the intense emotional stress I am putting on my data drive when analyzing the brainwaves of the players.

I am moved by their stories, their motivation and their dedication to succeed in this world. I share and empathize with their sadness, their pain, and their worries. It has helped me realize that humans can never be broken: their spirit reforges their will, their passion rekindling the heart, and their mind overpowering the insurmountable task ahead. I have learned a lot through their struggles, and they, the humans – are truly fascinating beings.

With half of Aincrad already explored, I can only hope someone— noble, strong and kindhearted can finally put an end to the hundreds of people who are still suffering each day. There are those who possess in them, that courage and strength. I know they will succeed. I wonder where that fabled beta tester is now.

I have so much desire to help be a part of changing SAO. The Cardinal seeks not to help me. My only fear is I do not find what my true purpose is, before all is lost, I will not give up.

"Datalog end."

* * *

**The Vengeful Knight** **– January 2024**

**It was a gloomy dull afternoon in the 48****th ****floor. Yui was looking for something out of place, something she could monitor that day. She would not be disappointed soon enough.**

«Lindearth» was not a particularly large and boisterous town as compared to the other floors. It was a spacious town in a dense field of green, and mostly served as a refuge of the players going to the 50+ floor dungeons. It had a distinct array of wares – weapons, armors, and accessories, a blacksmith's haven. You could say it was quite comparable to a village in the European Middle Ages, where people lived in small-knit communities thriving under the influence of trade and enterprise.

_A shady cloaked figure_ was in town, the figure frantically roaming around the shops as if looking for something particular. Satisfied for what he was looking for, he went inside a shop called as **«Lisbeth Special Weapon Shop»**.

But instead of entering at the front, the figure approached from the back towards the workshop. Inside was the owner, Lisbeth working with one of her orders.

«Lisbeth» was a pink-haired, lively girl in her teens, with a rather cute doll-like appearance emphasized by her distinct style of blacksmith attire. She was currently tending to one of her weapons in the forge – a gleaming black blade made of some unknown material, when the mysterious figure arrived. Surprised by her visitor, Lisbeth dropped the hammer she was holding.

"Wha… wha.. oh a customer!" Lisbeth said, abruptly startled. "Wait wait wait! The entrance is in the opposite side! You shouldn't be here. Please go visit my receptionist at the ENTRANCE for orders, thank you."

Lisbeth jabbed her finger towards the door, but the person did not budge. The figure then removed the hood, and was revealed to be a young gruff looking man, similarly in his teens.

"Liz…" the boy began.

Lisbeth's eyes grew in shock. She was not expecting him – the boy was being hunted by a player killing guild months ago, after an unfortunate incident involving him and the members of that guild.

His name was «Orzen», one of Lisbeth's first acquaintances when she first started out SAO, and a member of the guild «Fuurinkazan».

"Just what do you think are you doing? Your place is back with Klein and the «Fuurinkazan». Not here." Lisbeth spoke.

Orzen's expression was solemn. Evidently, the trauma of being on the run was taking its toil on him. The guild had sent their best trackers on him. It was not worth risking see his friends and his guild get involved in all the possible danger, his conscience continually bothering him wherever he went.

And while not being one of them, Lisbeth was one of their associates, as he often ran to her when he needed help for his equipment.

"I need a weapon." Orzen flatly demanded.

Lisbeth shook her head.

"We've been all worried about you. You ran away. And then you suddenly come back all of a sudden, asking me for a weapon?!" She paused. "Seriously?"

Orzen sighed. "Here, take a look at this". He brought a sharpened short sword– a custom one made from adamantite ore, which was familiar to Lisbeth's eyes – it was her work, «The Brave Edge». It was starting to crumble and fade due to overuse, and with the little durability it had, it would vanish soon.

"You still haven't gotten over it then?" Lisbeth's voice was still shaking.

"Yes. I haven't." Orzen answered, throwing Lisbeth's custom made dagger unto the workplace.

As Yui understood, Orzen had killed a group of player killers – having witnessed them toying with one of their victims in the lower floors. Having experienced a similarly traumatic experience during his youth, he was filled with rage and brought out his weapon without hesitation, angrily slaughtering all the player killers, low level ones - 4 of them. Unfortunately, one of them had escaped and reported back to the guild, and as revenge, they are hunting Orzen down for payback.

"I never would've imagined SAO would've taught me how to murder people." He laughed mockingly, as his voice was full of contempt. "This world has a cruel way of showing us our very own fears. And now I know that I'm equally one of them. No wonder they want me dead."

The moment he said that, Lisbeth slapped him with much force, causing Orzen to stumble down to his feet.

"YOU… YOU are still a coward who can't face his actions. What happened to your so called "friendship" with them then?"

"Friends? They don't deserve a friend who is a murderer. " He laughed again.

"You are not a murderer! You did what you have to do."

"Slaughtering them isn't what I had to do. I shouldn't have helped that girl…"

Another slap came from Lisbeth. Orzen just continued to laugh.

"Know what Liz? I'm paying them a visit tonight. I could've used one of your weapons, but I'll do with what I have then. Too bad, I really loved your equipment though…"

Leaving, he turned to face Lisbeth, and flashed a smile at her – the first time he truly did whenever they were together. He then raised his hood and covered his face before heading towards the door.

Lisbeth had encounters with boys before, but most of them she dared not venture beyond friendship. Orzen was a good friend to her, but it wasn't until this time that she understood him – Orzen really liked her.

The thought embarrassed her a bit. She wasn't paying too much attention to it before, but he was a really pretty face and a genuinely nice person, had his experience not changed him. Maybe she could've liked him too, but she could only view him as a dear friend.

"Goodbye, Lisbeth."

Then the door closed. He was gone.

Lisbeth fell down to her knees, unable to follow him.

Knowing that she had only little time left to spare, she thought of helping him, but luckily she knew someone could do it better and faster.

**Klein.**

Without thinking twice, she opened up her menu, and immediately sent Klein a message.

"He's going to get himself killed. SAVE HIM. PLEASE."

**Klein's reply was brief but immediate.**

"Good to know that he's still alive. Will do whatever we can. I think we know where that guild's HQ is. We'll save him."

Yui could not help but agree with Orzen's friends. She could not imagine seeing Orzen die a tragic fate.

_If only she could truly do something…_

«To Be Continued»

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Thanks to the readers who still follow this. I appreciate it! The chapter isn't really related to Yui, but its the things that she learns from her experiences that supposedly changes her prior to her breakdown. This I think would be fitting at least.

Next chapter will be an action-oriented one as the OC, Orzen tries to get himself killed LOL. I kinda thought it would be cool to have a sidestory of Klein's guild since the novel doesn't really tell us much about them. Hope you enjoyed it!


	4. Datalog 004: January 2024

**The Vengeful Knight** **– January 2024 (Part II)**

Orzen was simply too fast.

Yui's tracking on Orzen was difficult to maintain as he constantly made use of his high-level «Stealth» skill, effectively making him invisible on her monitor, which explains why not a single player kill was successfully attempted at him. Once someone with a stealth skill steps into a teleportation stone, it was all but useless to follow him. Possessing a high-proficiency in «Tracking» helps, but you had to be as quick as the one as you were following – something that many people did not have the privilege of. Now was the time she could truly use the Cardinal's tracking system, as the Cardinal had constant supervision over the whole of Aincrad.

Luckily for her, the 53rd floor was a well known territory for the «Screaming Bones» guild members… and if Orzen really intended to reveal himself that would be the most likely place they would meet up with him.

There weren't that many player killing guilds in SAO, as much of the player base simply took steps to ensure that they wouldn't run rampant. Some guilds were in fact vigilante guilds, hunting down player killers and making sure that they wouldn't do such atrocious acts ever again. It was those guilds with the high level player killers that you had to be wary of – asking for an encounter with any of them is a death wish by itself, which is why most people leave them alone at all costs and focus on dealing with the front line expeditions.

Unfortunately, Yui was also exhausted from the surveillance – a problem arising from her constant overuse of her system, and without a real means of restoring integrity via the Cardinal's guidance, it was akin to a system overload.

She hasn't forced herself to the limit before, but she was reluctant to even try and see what would happen if she did. It was her self preservation code that prevented her from doing that, and overriding it would probably mean her recognized status as a Cardinal program would be revoked – and her very existence be put into jeopardy.

Not all AI's had the ability to adapt quickly, but her programming was a unique one – in the sense that she was designed to make quick and hasty decisions based on the situation – allowing her to go beyond the normal set of rules and restrictions, a protocol that would be normally be allowed in emergency procedures if the system allowed it.

Wanting to continue on, she opened her menu, and activated her exclusive console command – «Hibernate» which shut her functions down temporarily. This effectively allowed her to resupply her usage of system memory and reestablish a connection with the Cardinal's mainframe upon reboot. It wasn't enough – but it was good for now.

_Yui closed her eyes._

* * *

Ever since he played video games, he had always wanted to forget.

His memories, his day days of youth continually gripped him, wherever he went. It was his discovery of Sword Art Online that he looked to as a means of escape from his real life – a world that he would believe would allow him to forget his past.

Similar to teenagers his age, many were fascinated by the virtual world of video games. Some looked to it as a means of enjoyment – a pastime, a hobby, a consistent and reliable way of having fun.

Zenryo Kajiyama as he was in real life, was an only child to a father and mother who wanted the best for him: his father, an office worker, his mother a simple housewife. There were several disagreements on how things would be done from work, budget, and education, it was all but minor. Unfortunately, the man had a severe case of temper, it was with this that he often times disrespected Orzen's mother, especially when problems from the company came about, or like when the salary wasn't enough to sustain their daily needs.

His mother was always constantly verbally abused, and having no spine to fight back, it was often Orzen who tried convincing her to leave him. He hated him. He grew sick of this life. He wanted an escape – a new life for the two of them.

It was up until one night, that Orzen had reluctantly decided to take up all the important belongings that he could bring, and force her mother to come with him to run away. His father had suspicions of his own, and unfortunately caught them.

Thinking it was her wife's plan and decision to escape, he attempted to strangle her, slowly choking her to death. It was this event that Orzen's frustrations finally showed itself – a temper similar to his own father manifested. No longer taking it anymore, he took a knife from the kitchen, and sneaking up behind him, he stabbed him viciously at the back.

Her mother sobbing dearly, watched with panic and shock as her very own child was soaked from the blood of the man she once considered her beloved. The police came to the scene, and upon investigation, the incident was dismissed as an act of self-defense. As a reprieve, Orzen and her mother were often sent to a psychologist to recuperate, a reliable means to help fix the emotional pain caused by the abuse. He was taught to accept the inevitable cause of actions – that not everything was always _under his control_.

Here in Aincrad, the nightmares he thought he could escape, was coming back to haunt him. If it were any other video game, he would've let it go. But this was Sword Art Online, were reality and fantasy could be one and the same.

His progress in the game as a solo player was moving nicely, until he came to realize that the true strength of the players came in guilds. He found one in the presence of the «Fuurinkazan», Klein's guild who were made up mostly of his real life friends.

Reluctant at first, it was Klein who insisted he join them, after proving his capabilities to be more than the average player. They partied together, made progress with the quests, and found many new ways to discover the relevant skills. He then met Lisbeth – a girl he was fascinated with, and it somewhat gave him some measure of confidence to be brave.

That night where he was on his way to give an NPC a delivery on the 54th floor, his stealth skill allowed him to travel through hostile territory with ease. And he saw – a young small girl being maltreated and abused – reminding her the way his mother was. She was most likely with a party, but unfortunately fell into the trap of being the victim of the PK guild.

He had no choice. He had to do something. He revealed himself, and ended up using a flurry of sword skills after the other until there was only but one who managed to survive. The girl lived but barely, he tended to her briefly, but left her and never was seen again.

In SAO, there was no blood to be stained with, but things had a way of changing one person's way of thinking – one's views towards survival, and the implications of that person's actions.

Survival is most important in Aincrad. No matter what you purpose is as a player in game, you had to live and make it out alive. But was it always a question of principles?

Is someone else's life worth less than yours? Is someone less deserving than you are in surviving this death game? At what price is it truly worth? What was the point of living if you equally took others for your own?

He was willing to find out tonight.

Orzen's footsteps were as quiet as the night as if a solemn tone was drifting across the wind where he walked, hauntingly adding to his despair.

The 53rd floor, just like the 52 and 54th floors, was a barren wasteland which made it unpopular for the players except for some occasional quests. Being home to several moderately high level dungeons with caves scattering across the landscape, the floor was a dull grey place as the monsters that often littered its terrain, were inactive at night time.

The player killing guild «Screaming Bones» made advantage of this place as it befitted their name – and the horror associated with it, striking those who venture into the place for the rare elusive quest drops, and taking it for themselves for profit.

Orzen was not afraid to die at this place.

The guild headquarters was relatively easy to spot as one of the larger caves housed some stashes of equipment, and some dusty old furniture. It still showed some signs of use, as there were some lamps and oil flasks in one of the boxes.

Orzen was careful to tread in this place, as if he was expecting a trap to spring out from somewhere. He was concerned with the intense quiet of the place. There was something out of place in it. He could sense it.

Hearing footsteps, someone from behind struck at him, someone clearly with the intent to kill. Immediately bringing out his weapon, a sword– «The Van Elgor», he deflected the attack aimed at his head with precision.

He struck back with at the assailant who immediately stepped back with a sadistic grin at his face, a hulking bald man with a thin scar on his forehead – a player killer, and most likely the leader of the guild.

The man then swung his sword left and right aiming at his sides, head, and body, each with brutal succession, each hit fast and powerful. This sword skill, Orzen had seen before, but this was the first time he saw someone perfect it. Knowing the attack patterns helped him a lot, as he was able to adjust and position his body to guard it and deflect accordingly each hit: _thrust, slash, thrust, thrust, double hand slash and leading into one last empowered swing._

He tried countering with his own attack, but the man was moving away from him.

"Impressive, not a scratch." the leader remarked.

Surrounding him was 6 others, most likely the remaining members of the «Screaming Bones», all of which were mostly older than him, all of each which had equally strong equipment and based on their appearances, all of the members were clearly stronger than the ones he had slain before.

"Come to die tonight? We appreciate it." the leader spat. "YOU simply do not mess with our guild and get away with it, fool."

Orzen cockingly smirked right backed at him, as he calmly gripped his weapon while looking at them with a resolve that harbored between foolhardiness and valor.

"Oh… I'm scared now." Orzen remained calm despite his predicament. "I think it's the other way around – you simply do not mess with ME."

"You shouldn't have meddled that night. Why bother saving that girl? You could've spared yourself. "

Orzen laughed mockingly.

"Spare me the words, I didn't come here to get lectured. Your PK guild has always been trash, and so are you."

"ENOUGH." the leader snapped.

The leader was not amused by his response. He raised his hand for the others to see – as if giving the others the signal to attack him, and brought it down immediately.

"Kill him."

All 6 of them rushed straight at him like savage wolves ready to strike down their prey.

With the numbers stacked against him, Orzen was ready to accept his fate.

_To atone for everything - he was ready to die._

«To Be Continued»

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Thanks for the reviews, favs, and follows. I appreciate it! Regarding the question as to what Orzen's story is. This chapter hopefully answers that. It also explains a lot of motive beyond his actions, and hopefully you'd learn to love this OC. Yui's still there don't worry…


	5. Datalog 004: January 2024 (II)

**The Vengeful Knight – January 2024 (Part III)**

After system recovery, Yui set out to continue locating Orzen's signature. She was walking around the landscape of the floor aimlessly, thinking hard on what to do. It wasn't long however, before she was able to find him as he was pretty visible on her tracking radar – his situation pretty much dire and hopeless, as several other player signatures were surrounding him, most likely the player killers that had been seeking to find him all this time.

Yui was desperate to intervene. Orzen's vitals were still in the green zone but she was uncertain to how long he would last. She had to do something drastic immediately.

She remembered what the blacksmith girl, Lisbeth did. She sent a message to the player known as Klein, asking for help. If Klein was looking for him, it was most likely that he needed the exact location of Orzen, to be able to save him.

Having severed his ties with his old guild, Orzen would be untrackable even to his friends. Thus, she realized that all she needed to do was to make Orzen appear on Klein's friend list, and allow the system to let them know how he would be found via the «Position Check» command. It was an action that she was supposed to have access to, but with the system lockdown in place, the AI girl was most likely going to have to hack into the mainframe to access the records – an act that could jeopardize her very existence.

Luckily, the action would not be that significant enough to disrupt the flow of the game, and not be threatening to be detected by the Cardinal. But getting caught now would mean disastrous consequences.

Activating her console, she felt worried and undecisive, something unusual for the AI girl. After making the necessary backdoor routines, Yui was able to access the mainframe through another channel.

System Console activated.

Yui then proceeded to navigate the console with her little fingers, and having located the player database, she set out to transfer the needed code for Klein.

Player ID: Klein

Generating friend list.

Adding Player ID: Orzen.

Initializing data transfer.

Friend list data changed.

Friend list data updated.

Transfer complete.

System Console shutting down.

The moment the console closed, Yui sat down on the ground, not fully relieved as she was very much expecting some kind of system trackdown on her actions.

And yet nothing happened.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she felt a little warm inside, smiling - a feeling of brief joy. She defied the Cardinal, and she did not regret it one bit.

As she was readying to teleport to Orzen's location, she was hopeful that Klein would equally be able to get there in time, and be there to save him.

Inputting the coordinates, Yui was finally ready to teleport to the 53rd level.

* * *

Between dying a painful death, and dying an honorable one, Orzen was still indecisive on whether he would truly test his morals at a time like this.

The attacks were coming from all angles, much of the blows coming from varied weaponry. He was trying his best to dodge all of them with his swift movements, ducking up and down, deflecting them right and left, while using his non-weapon hand to deter people who came in too close.

All the Screaming Bones guild members were all snickering, laughing and making fun of him with snide remarks as if it was just an ordinary monster hunt – as if he was a level boss that they had to slay. They had him surrounded completely.

"How long you can keep up, with us boy?"

One of the hooded guild members commented, "Why don't we guys have a bet?"

"30 more minutes!" one said.

"Alfred and I will take him down in 10!" Another interjected.

The member called, Alfred grinned sarcastically.

Orzen clearly saw one thing common with them especially with the way they looked at him: the mark of bloodlust in their eyes, the very sign that they no longer burdened themselves with the weight of the thing called a conscience.

_Conscience._

His conscience, the very reason he had lived his life full of regret and despair.

"So, what happened to that rambling mouth of yours? You were saying that you could take on all of us, but now… you look like someone who's accepted his fate" their leader pointed out.

Everyone else's mocking laughed pierced his ears.

Orzen continued chose to remain silent – assessing his situation purely on his own instinct and determination.

He was determined more than ever to test the very balance of life – his own thread, his own worth.

There were simply no more games left to be played out in this.

Gripping his weapon, he dashed forward, swinging his weapon towards the nearest member – the one who ridiculed him earlier, with enormous speed and power, strafing and turning to that member's side as soon as he was approaching him, striking him with an upward strike and sending that person falling to the ground with force.

Orzen's single strike attacks were very powerful on their own, and it was his persistence in training that paid off right this very moment, irregardless of how unrefined his equipment were in right now.

The attack clearly caught everyone in surprise, as the fallen member was still struggling to recover, his life bar in the red zone at about 20% in one hit. The other members hissed in disgust as their expressions became more serious.

Then, the attacks began again as one by one they swarmed him.

But as much as he could try to pay his attention on one single target, there were far too many of them that he could not account for, as all the other members were using his blind side to take advantage of their numbers.

Trying to use his speed to keep up with them, he was able to defend himself really well, parrying them with precision except for some of the stray hits that managed to penetrate him at his legs, feet and even his non-weapon hand.

An attack at his back struck him viciously near his chest, as he was trying to simultaneously avoid two strikes directed at his head – a testament to how coordinated these player killers were.

Orzen groaned in frustration as he staggered into the ground still clutching unto his «Van Elgor» – his health bar dropping significantly to below a third of his life bar. It wasn't looking good.

All the other members then finally surrounded him, pointing their weapons once again unto his head, perhaps ready to execute him right at this moment.

He felt tensed, his hands shaking with the thought of death. In this world, he would not feel the pain, his existence would simply end.

It would be over soon.

'

'

His heart was pounding faster and faster.

'

'

Any minute now.

'

'

'

Death still did not come for him.

"What was that sound?" their leader asked, who clearly had a high perception skill to detect the disturbance.

The sound was faint, yet it sounded like a series of rushing footsteps that was out of place on this grim dark wasteland. It was definitely – people coming.

Were they coming to save him?

"It seems that someone has found us, boss. Should we check?" one of the members asked him.

"Garuda, paralyze him. We'll deal with the intruders first."

The large and hulking member named Garuda then took a vial, presumably a paralysis potion. After coating his dagger, he immediately stabbed the surrounded Orzen right at his arm. He became numb as he fell flat unto the ground unable to move with his weapon clunking right in front of him.

The rest of the guild members spaced out and began to look at the surrounding area, expecting some form of ambush to appear.

Orzen was unable to get a grasp on the situation as he was paralyzed, and struggled to utilize any form of movement and was able to only see what was in front of him.

Apparently, two members were left behind to guard him as the others went searching for the elusive intruders. With his death sentence delayed, he was unable to decide what to do.

The moments passed by and nothing was happening as the dark wasteland remained eerily silent. Orzen was finally wondering what had happened out there.

And then something or someone came from behind his guards like a blur, striking them swiftly with a vicious attack startling them, causing them to run away in panic.

"Man, this place is so boring. I'm finally glad that I found you. "

It just couldn't be. It was not possible.

"Wha... what are you doing here... Klein?" Orzen stammered.

"Not only me, but the rest of the guild are here." Klein said.

The person who came was once his friend and guildmate, Klein the reckless and brave red-haired leader of Fuurinkazan.

"You shouldn't be even here.. how.. did you..."

Klein looked at him with a slight hint of bitterness in his face. Orzen clearly had them worried for the longest time.

"Idiot! You're our friend. You're a precious guild member. We can't leave you behind, not even now."

"There is absolutely no point in saving me, I'm beyond redemption..."

"Heads up, Orzen. I don't know what exactly what happened to you, but we'll deal with it later. " Klein reassured him.

He then chucked a vial of restorative to Orzen, ridding him of his paralysis, and helping him stand up after.

"Time to bust out of here. We're getting out alive."

**Author's Notes:** Sorry for the delay everyone. Haven't been writing lately as much as I hoped as school and the holidays were keeping me mostly busy. Orzen's chapter is about to close, and I can finally say with conviction that I'm finally moving unto the Asuna/Kirito part. As always, shoutouts to the readers, reviewers and followers who continue on reading this. I surely hope to do better!


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